This invention relates to apparatus for mowing vegetation, and more particularly, to mowing apparatus for mowing under and on both sides of a fence or guardrail.
In the maintenance of highway right-of-ways, parks, commercial properties, and various landscaped areas, as well as in agricultural use generally, it is often required to control vegetation under guardrails and fences. This presents certain problems for mowing, due to the difficulty of reaching under the guardrail with existing mowing apparatus, and also presents the problem of mowing around posts or other vertical supports of a guardrail or fence. Controlling vegetation under guardrails and fences typically has been achieved heretofore by means of hand mowing, chemical sprays or by mowers reaching part way under the rail from one side at a time. The present invention involves the provision of a trailer-mounted mowing apparatus including multiple mower units which permits mowing under and along both sides of a fence or guardrail in one pass. The problem of mowing around posts is overcome by using novel apparatus having a unit including a series of rotary mowers, with the unit rotating about a vertical axis for permitting the rotary mowers to rotate as part of the rotatable unit upon contact with a post. The opposite side of the fence is mown by a single mower unit of the apparatus.
The apparatus includes a unique follower arrangement for keeping the mowers in place, under, and adjacent to the fence or guardrail by utilizing a steerable axle on the trailer which carries the mower frames.
The apparatus is designed to be pulled by any tractor having a standard drawbar and power take-off shaft. The power for the mowers and frame adjustments is provided by a self-contained hydraulic system on the trailer powered by the tractor power take-off or by an engine mounted on the trailer.
The multiple mower unit, which is used to mow the outside of the fence or guardrail, is supported by a telescoping boom attached to the trailer frame. Such boom can be adjusted vertically by hydraulic means, and is of telescoping character. The telescoping beam can be extended to position the multiple mower unit on the outside of the fence or guardrail, and includes means for rotating a suspension arrangement for the multiple mower unit to bring it into mowing position. Also provided is means for permitting the multiple mower unit to swing safely out of the way in the even of striking obstructions either from the direction of movement, or from the side. The multiple mower unit rotates upon its axis upon contact with a post to cause rotation of a successive mower blade into position beneath the fence or rail for uninterrupted mowing.
A single mower unit similar to the multi-mower unit is used to mow the inside of the fence or guardrail. The single mower unit is also supported by a telescoping boom attached to the trailer frame. The entire boom can be adjusted vertically by hydraulic and electronic means, moved horizontally by a telescoping boom, and can rotate horizontally about its vertical offset support within predetermined limits. The single mower unit comprises a single rotary mower powered by a hydraulic motor or other prime mover. In operation, the mower is adjusted vertically and horizontally into the desired position projecting under the fence or guardrail. The unit contacts each post, rotates clear, and is returned automatically to the predetermined position under the fence or guardrail.
The trailer is comprised of a single axle chassis and frame suitable for towing behind a tractor, car, or truck. It carries the supporting frames for the multi-mower outside unit, the single mower inside unit, hydraulic fluid reservoir, hydraulic motors, pumps, and cylinder or equivalent. The trailer automatically follows a line of travel parallel to the fence or guardrail. The axle of the trailer is steerable by means of a tongue supported underneath the trailer frame. A spring pulls the tongue and steers the trailer toward the fence of guardrail; and a horizontal wheel contacts the fence or rail with enough pressure to offset the spring. This counteraction of spring steering the trailer toward the fence, the horizontal wheel contacting the guardrail or fence and steering the trailer away from the fence cause the trailer to travel parallel to the fence or guardrail offsetting movement of the towing unit toward or away from the guardrail or fence. A hydraulic cylinder permits locking the steerable axle into a straight ahead mode for travel.
The trailer with the inside and outside mowers fully retracted can be towed upon a highway.
Accordingly, among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of improved mowing apparatus, which is particularly useful for controlling vegetation under guardrails and fences; which provides for mowing under and along both sides of guardrails and fences; which provides for mowing of vegetation in close proximity to posts or other vertical supports of a fence or guardrail; which provides automatic tracking or following of a fence or guardrail without close operator supervision; which provides mowing under and on both sides of a guardrail or fence with far greater speed, efficiency, and effectiveness than has heretofore been achieved; which is simply and reliably, as well as economically constructed so as to provide marked economy and reliability of usage; which is particularly useful for highway right-of-way maintenance, as well as maintenance of commercial and private grounds, particularly those which are landscaped and include fences or guardrails; which is useful in agriculture for mowing along fences, guardrails, hedgerows, and other boundary-defining vegetation or structures; and which can be utilized for mowing along buildings and other boundary-defining structures along grounds covered with vegetation to permit mowing more closely to such border or boundary than has heretofore been achievable; and which does not require in use a high degree of operator skill, maintenance or attention.
Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinbelow.